I Love You
by YouStarteldTheSister
Summary: Nick had just thought himself the unlovable type, with noone in the world willing to look past the fact that he was a thieving prick. But Ellis had just admitted that very thing to him in permant ink, showing him in a way that could never be taken back.


_They were laying there together, bodies tangled up in a mess of limbs as they tried hard to fit comfortably on the small matress they found sitting on the floor of the safehouse. Ellis was unusually quiet, which worried Nick more the it should have. Usually the kid would have start going on non stop about the day's adventure, then came to Nick and curld up next to him wanting sleep and the comfort of another body next to him so he could make it through the next threatening situation they would find themselves throw into in the morning. But not today, today the boy's face is pale and his fingers have a slight tremble to them. The boy's eyes don't have that usual playful twinkle to them, and instead look far off and thoughtful, like he was so lost in thought he didn't even notice the condition his body was in._

_"You ok Overalls?"_

_Ellis snapped out of it, and slipped his arms out from around Nick so that he could roll over and reach for a marker left on the floor nearby. Pulling the cap off with his teeth, Ellis found a small patch of blank wall admist all the previous survivors scribbles above their heads. With a handwritting that was surprisingly neat and tidy for someone like him, Ellis wrote a single sentence on the wall, the markings a permant statement for all to see._

_"I think I love you Nick"_

_The conman twisted his head to see what the younger man had wrote, and felt like he'd been hit with something hard, no one ever said they loved Nick.. not even his ex wife. Nick had just thought himself the unlovable type, with noone in the world willing to look past the fact that he was a thieving prick. But Ellis had just admitted that very thing to him in permant ink, showing him in a way that could never be taken back even if he wanted too. Nick knew he had to reply, say something before it seemed like he was hesitating and drove the kid away. So he grabbed up another marker and wrote the only thing he could think of under it._

_"Same here Ellis"_

_Ellis gave him a small smile, and leaned in, testing the truth of what had just been written with a kiss. Feeling Nick's arms tight around him, but nothing other then that, it was enough though. He knew Nick wasn't an emotional person, and if that was all he was going to get then he'd take it._

Ellis' weight was heavy on his shoulder, body limp and like a ragdoll as he swung around to fire his pistol at another infected. Things would be going so much faster if he had a bigger gun or another pistol, but there was no way he was going to let Ellis go. His suit was quickly becoming a solid red, and that lash shot splashed a nice puddle of blood in his face, letting it drip down his nose and the one strand of hair that had come lose from the rest of Nick's slicked back hair during his struggle.

"Everything's going to be ok.."

He spoke the thought out loud, hoping to get some kind of reaction out of the lifeless body draped over his right shoulder like a sack of potatos, his arm wrapped around the kid's back and pinky finger keeping a firm grip on the adjustment strap on the back of the kid's hat, trying his damnest to make it didn't fall off so that when Ellis woke up he wouldn't have to be worried about losing it.

"Help is coming.."

There was no response from the dead weight next to him. Not even a single hit of a breath or a stirring montion, nothing to show any sign of life left in his younger lover.. and that's when the truth hit him full force, a painful crushing realization that Ellis was gone and he was all alone now, fighting thousands of zombies in a horde that probably contained every infected citizen in New Orleans.. with nothing more then a pistol with a half a clip left in it.

"Ellis?.."

Even though he knew the truth.. he couldn't accept it, not yet.. not when there was still the tiniest hint of hope left in his mind..

"Answer me!..."

The sounds of gunshots and infected growls faded, the feel of blood and brain matter splashing on him and the stumbling rocking motion of his body as he tried to carry both their bodies through the breaks he made in the endless wave of living corpses didn't matter. All that mattered was Ellis, and concentrating solely on him and the single hope that he'd raise his head up and tell Nick he was an idiot for worrying.

"ELLIS!"

He couldn't even remember how they'd lost the kid, all he knew what that Ellis had complained about not feeling so hot.. but assured them he could still go on, not wanting to be one to weigh down the team and keep them from getting to the safety of Ceda. Something had told Nick he should've spoken up, said something to avoid this and notice just how bad the kid really looked. But he didn't, and the next thing they knew, Ellis was face down in a puddle of blood.

Coach and Ro had insisted they keep going, but Nick wouldn't hear of it. He wasn't going to leave Ellis here, he'd never leave the kid's side again after what had happened last night. When they told him he was stupid he told them to fuck off, when they told him it was time to move on before something found them Nick told them to go on with him. When they tried to pull him away from Ellis' lifeless body he shot at them. That was when they finally decided to leave, trying to look cheerful about it and giving a quick wave back at him as Nick picked up Ellis. Laying him gently of his shouler so he could shoot if he needed to while they walked, he had to get Ellis to the next safehouse.. he had to patch him up so he could live.

But he couldn't do that now.. the horde had caught them, and Ellis was gone. A zombie ran into Nick right when he stumbled. The conman was knocked to the ground, but ended up falling ontop of Ellis, pretty much protecting the mechanic from further harm with his own body. But even that didn't last long, as soon as Nick hit the ground, the zombies were on him. Not that Nick cared, tears were already streaming down his face from the pain of losing Ellis. He didn't even try to fight them, just let the zombies tear at him while he screamed Ellis' name over and over trying to get any sort of reaction out of the boy.

Then all at once the world fell silent, and the zombies stopped their craved rampage to break out that tight circle and stumble away. Their senesless wandering resumed now that they senesed no kind of threat amongst them. Things were peaceful like this for a ful thirty minutes before a group of survivors happened past them.. and a young looking survivor sporting a patch on her right cheek and black hair up in a pony tail stopped.

"Come on Zoey we don't have time to stop right now!."

The survivor nodded, scooped up a bloodied pistol with a large N scratched into the handle, and hurried to join up with the rest of the team.


End file.
